


Can't Fight This Feeling

by JehBeeEh



Series: Ahead by a Century [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Coffee makes mornings better, Domestic Avengers, Domestic Fluff, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Grumpy Happy, M/M, Sleepovers, Slow Burn, Sweet Steve Rogers, Sweet Tony Stark, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-15 00:57:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21025136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JehBeeEh/pseuds/JehBeeEh
Summary: "How far out are you?” Steve asked“15 to 20 minutes, depending on traffic?”“Ok, front door is unlocked, just come in, I'll be prepping some veggies. Can't wait to see you.”“Me too. Be there soon.”Steve couldn't contain his grin as he hung up. He hadn't seen Tony since their first date a little over two weeks ago now. They'd both been incredibly busy, and both had had to cancel plans they'd made since then. Even though they spoke every night, and texted during the day, Steve missed Tony and wanted to see him. Hearing his voice on the phone just wasn’t the same as having the man himself in front of him.He got to the kitchen and started prepping dinner. He had just finished sautéing bacon when he heard the front door.“Honey, I’m home!” Tony called out playfully, making Steve laugh. He could get used to hearing that on the daily.





	Can't Fight This Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> Me: OK I can write something other than insanely fluffy shit.  
Brain: Hold my beer!

It was just a regular Tuesday. Steve was making his way home after a day he thought would never end, not looking forward to an evening of doing even more work. He was just glad he had managed to convince his bosses to let him his work from home rather than stay at the office until God knew when. He was enjoying the walk to clear his head a bit. The day before the magazine went in for final approvals before printing was supposed to be pretty chill. Last minute adjustments, making sure everything was ok. Today did not go as planned, and Steve was exhausted from it. He was almost home when his phone rang. He quickly perked up when he saw the caller I.D.

“Hey Tony, how are you?” he answered, smiling for the first time that afternoon.

“I am doing much better now that I hear your voice. Are you home?” Tony sounded genuinely relieved to hear Steve's voice, which wasn't typical of the brunette.

“I'm about a block away. Everything ok?”

“Yeah, just had a really shitty couple of days. I was wondering… would you mind if I… come over?” For the first time since he'd met him, Steve heard hesitation and uncertainty in the usually confident man.

“I don’t mind one bit. But…”

“Oh no. Not a but. I don’t like buts. Well, I do, but not the but I believe you are referring to.”

Steve laughed and rolled his eyes. “I have to warn you, I’ll be working all night, so I won’t be super fun company. Had a pretty rough day here too.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Thought you’d said today should have been a breeze?”

“Yeah, I can explain when you get here. Did you have dinner yet?”

“No, was going to ask if you wanted me to pick something up along the way?”

“Nah, got everything prepped to make chili. Assuming you're ok with that?” Steve held his phone between his shoulder and ear as he unlocked his door.

“Who makes chili on a Tuesday night? Isn't that a weekend meal? Takes forever to make.”

Steve dropped his keys on the table by the entrance, and his bag next to it. He quickly kicked off his shoes as he kept chatting. “It doesn't take forever, you’ll see. How far out are you?”

“15 to 20 minutes, depending on traffic?”

“Ok, front door is unlocked, just come in, I'll be prepping some veggies. Can't wait to see you.”

“Me too. Be there soon.”

Steve couldn't contain his grin as he hung up. He hadn't seen Tony since their first date a little over two weeks ago now. They'd both been incredibly busy, and both had had to cancel plans they'd made since then. Even though they spoke every night, and texted during the day, Steve missed Tony and wanted to see him. Hearing his voice on the phone just wasn’t the same as having the man himself in front of him.

He got to the kitchen and started prepping dinner, taking out all the ingredients he needed, measuring out the spices out of memory, and starting to cut onions and peppers. He had just finished sautéing bacon when he heard the front door.

“Honey, I’m home!” Tony called out playfully, making Steve laugh. He could get used to hearing that on the daily.

“I’m in the kitchen, on your left,” he instructed, realizing Tony hadn’t seen his home yet.

“Damn, Rogers! Nice place you got here,” Tony was looking around the open main floor as he reached the kitchen.

“Thanks.” It probably wasn't as nice as Tony's penthouse at Stark Tower, Steve thought, but he liked his home. The main floor was open and bright, thanks to large windows at both ends. The living room, located right by the entrance, was simply furnished with a sectional couch against the wall opposite the entrance and the low shelf with his TV opposite it. A couple bookshelves lined the staircase that led to the second floor, which was the only separation between the living and kitchen areas. The kitchen where they stood was large considering the size of his home. It was all white, except for the island in the middle, which was a dark charcoal colour, a contrast against the white countertops. The only real pop of colour overall on the main floor was a large mixed media painting just above the couch, a splatter of red and blue with hints of white that had caught Tony's attention when he walked in.

Tony sat down at one of the stools at the island opposite Steve and just watched him as he kept on with his prep. “It smells delicious in here, by the way.”

“Bacon tends to do that, yeah,” Steve smiled at him quickly. “I'm almost done, you can go watch TV if you want, you don't have to wait for me here.”

“No, I don't mind. I want to stay here…” Tony replied quietly. “This might sound weird, but I really needed to see you today. I missed you.”

Steve stopped chopping the pepper he was working on and looked at Tony then. He looked much more tired than when he had last seen him, his eyes not as bright and expressive as they had been. The small smile he gave Steve didn’t even compare to what Steve had been privy to before.

“It isn’t weird at all. I really missed you too, actually. I'm real happy you're here.” His eyes locked with the brown ones in front of him and Tony seemed to relax a bit.

Steve went back to making dinner, quickly getting everything in the pot and locking the lid in place before hitting the time settings. When he turned back, Tony looked intrigued.

“What is that thing exactly?” he asked.

“It's a pressure cooker. That's how I can make chili on a weekday. Super quick and tastes just as good. Promise,” he walked around the island towards Tony, taking a seat next to him. “Hi,” Steve said, almost shy.

“Hey yourself,” Tony replied, his usual playful self starting to come through.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Steve reached for Tony's hand, intertwining their fingers.

“Thanks for having me over. Sorry it was short notice,” Tony leaned forward a bit, with Steve following suit, and their lips met, a soft and slow affair. When they pulled away, Steve stayed close enough to gently brush his nose against Tony's.

“You can ask to come over anytime you want,” Steve whispered, feeling like anything louder would ruin the moment. He ran his hand against Tony’s cheek and jaw before giving him another kiss. “Wanna tell me about what’s going on?” he asked when he noticed Tony didn’t seem like himself at all – or at least, not the same guy he was with a few weeks ago.

“I’m sorry. Just having a hard time selling some of the green tech I was telling you about to our board,” Tony started. “They just don't think this will rake in the money, which I do not care about. Not even a bit!” he let go of Steve's hand, put both his arms on the counter and let his head sink down to rest on them. “Why is that all they care about? Why is this so hard?!”

Steve had gotten up to get them both a drink. He filled two glasses of water first and then grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge. “The way you explained it to me, it was clear this is a great, and much needed, initiative. I don't see why anyone wouldn't want to support it.” He sat back down and opened his beer. He rubbed Tony's back when he saw the brunette didn't move. He heard a low muffled moan as his hand reached the hair at the back of his neck.

“Fuck that feels good…” Tony moved his head to give the blond better access, letting himself be petted like a puppy. After a minute, he turned his head towards Steve. “I don't want people to remember me cause of all the bullshit, ya know? I don't… I want to leave something good behind, I want to make a difference. If I'm going to have a legacy, as everyone keeps calling it, I don't want it to be weapons and all the crap with Stane, or how I acted ‘cause I was just a kid thrown into adulthood way too early… I have a chance to make a difference with this, and no one cares.”

“Well, I know I’m just one guy, but I care. I have no doubt you'll find a way to make them see just how great an idea this is,” Steve slid off his chair and stood in front of Tony with his arms opened. The brunette smiled and moved just enough to collapse into the blonde’s embrace. He wrapped his arms around Steve waist, resting his head on his broad chest, breathing in deeply – the faint smell of body wash mixed with cologne and something else that just made it Steve. It was calming, and just felt safe in his arms.

“Where have you been all my life, Steve Rogers? You are incredibly good for my ego.” Tony smiled as he felt Steve nuzzle into his hair and kiss the top of his head.

“You hungry?” Steve asked as the pressure cooker beeped. He gave Tony one last kiss before pulling away to serve dinner.

“Starving actually. Can I help?”

“Uh… you can grab sour cream and cheese from the fridge?”

They both moved around the kitchen setting up for dinner like they'd been doing it for years. Steve placed utensils and placemats in a pile on the island, which Tony set up after grabbing the ingredients from the fridge. Steve filled two bowls and grabbed some bread before sitting back down.

“Oh my God! This is so good,” Tony lamented after his first bite.

“Told ya,” Steve tried hiding a smug grin with a sip of his beer.

“So, what happened to screw up your quiet day?”

“It was just one thing after another. Got in this morning and one of the advertisers had to be pulled, so we had to redesign a few pages cause of that. Then one of the products we were showcasing got pushed, so won't be launched by the time the magazine's out. Had to redesign that set. And, just when we thought nothing else could go wrong, the cover story got pulled – I didn’t even ask why at that point. So we are basically redoing the whole damned thing in less than 24 hours. Plus, we were short staffed, cause of course people tend to take today off since it is usually so quiet. Have no reason to say no, right? Managed to convince my boss I'd be more productive if I worked from home for the evening instead of staying at the office.”

“Shit, that sucks. Well, I promise to not distract you. Not intentionally at least.”

“I won't be offended if you want to head out while I work.”

“Nah, I want to hang out here. Unless you want me to leave?”

“I don’t mind, just don't want you to be bored, ‘s all.”

They finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen, again feeling like they'd been doing this together forever. Steve had just finished the dishes and was wiping his hands when Tony started making his way to walk behind him. Steve decided he could probably spare 5 minutes before starting on work and decided to seize the opportunity. Something about being in his own space made him much less awkward than he’d been on their first date.

Just as Tony was about to pass him, Steve hooked his left arm around his waist, and in one swift move, he had Tony trapped between him and the island, his right hand cupping his jaw as he went in for a kiss. Once the initial shock passed, Tony melted into Steve's touch, his hands going to Steve’s neck, pulling him in to deepen the already heated kiss. Neither men could keep their hands from roaming just a bit. Steve’s left slowly inching up Tony’s side, discovering some toned muscles hiding under his dress shirt. Tony moving one hand down Steve’s muscular arm, remembering how strong and safe it had felt to have both wrapped around him not that long ago. When Steve gently sucked on Tony's bottom lip, the brunette couldn’t help the low moan that escaped his lips as they finally parted for air.

“Let the record show, you started this. I was being good, and not distracting, and you totally started this. I plead not guilty,” Tony let out in between kisses along Steve's jaw and neck.

“Figured if I didn’t do this now, I would never be able to concentrate later.”

“Fair point,” Tony nipped at the exposed skin in the crease of Steve's neck, wishing he could get that sweater off him and get to those muscular shoulders of his. “Warning you now, if we don't move soon, I won't be able to keep my hands off you much longer.”

“You and I both. Come on,” Steve landed one last slow kiss at Tony's temple before he grabbed his hand and led him to the living room. He went to grab his work bag, and took out his laptop, setting it on the coffee table. He closed the curtains, and found the TV remote, before settling on the couch next to Tony who was lounging lazily and looking up at the painting he had spotted when coming in. A small smile crept on Steve's lips as he noticed and asked, “Do you like it?”

Tony turned to him. “Yeah, it’s beautiful. I don't know a thing about art, but it just keeps pulling me in. It's mesmerizing.”

“I, um… I made that.”

Tony gaped at him. “Steve, it's amazing! I’m… wow! You are really talented.”

“Thanks,” Steve blushed and went back to setting up his laptop.

Tony studied the painting a while longer, in absolute awe of Steve's talent, before turning to look at him again. He was already engrossed in his work, blue eyes frowning slightly in concentration. Tony grabbed the TV remote and managed to navigate his way to Steve's Netflix account, finding old episodes of Brooklyn 9-9 easily, zoning out to the familiar show. They stayed that way for over an hour before Tony got up, needing to stretch his legs, and made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a couple glasses of water for them. When he came back Steve had shifted a bit, his legs outstretched with his feet on the coffee table, his laptop resting on his thighs and he was stretching, arms above his head, making his sweater rise up just enough that Tony couldn't help but stare at the patch of exposed skin revealing a hint of perfectly carved abs in a deliciously defined V. He let out a slow sigh as he tried to pry his eyes away, and then he noticed them.

“Oh, you cannot do this to me,” he said in a low, sexy voice.

“What did I do?” Steve asked, confusion evident on his face, as he lowered his arms just enough to rest his hands behind his head.

“No no, arms down, now – those muscles should be illegal, fuck. And why didn't you tell me you wore glasses?” Tony hadn't moved an inch.

“Oh, these are just for the computer, they help with the light from the screen or something. Doctor recommended them, otherwise I get headaches. Why are you looking at me like that?” Steve was laughing at Tony's expression. His eyes were so dark and wide, Steve was surprised they hadn't popped out of their sockets. He was biting his lower lip and breathing just a bit too fast.

“You have no idea how damned hot you look right now. You are the sexiest nerd I’ve ever seen right now… if I could, but I won't cause I promised I'd be good, even though I am regretting that oh so much right now, I would strip every bit of clothing off you, and take you to bed right now.”

“Oh. I was not expecting these to get such a reaction,” Steve was blushing furiously now and not sure what to do next.

Tony finally moved, making his way back towards the couch. “You just don't realize how gorgeous you are, or how much I’ve wanted to tear your clothes off since I met you, Steve.” Tony took his seat, and set the glasses on the table. He turned to Steve, giving him a quick kiss, knowing if he lingered any more, it would be the end of his willpower.

“For what its worth, the feeling is mutual,” Steve replied sweetly as Tony pulled back from him. “I probably have a few more hours of this, seriously, it’s ok if you want to go home. Sorry for making this so hard on you.”

“I’m comfy right here, don’t worry about me.”

They settled back into their previous groove, the TV and laptop keys the only sounds in the room. When Steve looked at the time again, it was past midnight. He had sent in the final layouts and designs to his boss, with a promise for both of them to review everything with fresh eyes in the morning. He closed his laptop and noticed the streaming app on the TV had stopped, the familiar prompt asking if the viewer was still engaged on the screen. He turned to look at the brunette curled up next to him and smiled when he saw he was completely passed out. At some point had tucked his feet under Steve, which the blond had noticed, leading him to absentmindedly stroke Tony’s calves from time to time, but he hadn’t noticed him fall asleep. He looked so peaceful curled up like he was.

Steve set the laptop back on the coffee table, and gently moved off the couch and crouched in front of Tony. He gently brushed his hair off his face as he tried to wake him as gently as possible, whispering his name and rubbing his fingers through his hair.

“Steve..? What time is it?” Tony didn’t open his eyes when he finally spoke.

“It's past midnight, sleepyhead. You can stay here tonight, but you’d probably be comfier in the spare bed upstairs than down here.”

“Mmhmm,” his eyes finally opened before he sat up slowly.

“I’ll be right back.” Steve quickly made the rounds on the main floor, locking doors and turning off lights. He called for Tony to follow him when he was done, waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. He took his hand and led the way upstairs. He instinctively went straight for his room before he realized he forgot to show Tony to the spare room.

“Sit here for a sec, I’ll grab you a toothbrush and PJ, ok?”

Tony mumbled incomprehensibly as Steve made a beeline for his ensuite, where he knew he had a new toothbrush somewhere from his last dentist appointment. When he finally managed to find it, he got back to his room to find Tony fast asleep under the covers. He noticed a pile of clothes at the foot of the bed that could only be Tony's.

“Tony Stark is sleeping in my bed. How is this my life?” Steve asked himself out loud. Tony was clearly asleep already ‘cause he didn’t move at the sound of Steve's voice. The blond put on his PJs and got in his bed, careful not to wake up the brunette. He really did look so peaceful when he slept, Steve couldn’t help himself and kissed him on the forehead and gently whispered “Night Tony.” He settled on his pillow, drifting off to sleep with Tony's sweet sleeping face as the last thing he saw that night.

* * *

Tony woke up to the sound of the shower the next morning. He had no idea where he was for a minute, or what time it was. He squished his face in the pillow to stifle a yawn and instantly recognized the scent. He was in Steve's bed. And not naked. How was that possible? He stretched out and waited for the blond to appear before moving again.

Steve emerged 10 minutes later, fully dressed, toothbrush in his mouth, as he went to a dresser and pulled out a tie. He winked at Tony when he saw the brunette was awake and quickly finished in the bathroom before reappearing in his bedroom.

“Morning,” Steve said quietly, crouching next to the bed much like he'd done the night before next to the couch. “Sleep ok?”

“I don't remember the last time I slept this well actually. What time is it?” Tony sat up in bed.

“It is 6:40. I have coffee downstairs, your clothes are on a hanger in the bathroom - figured the steam from the shower would help with the wrinkles - and there is a toothbrush by the sink for you. Come down when you're ready.”

Tony just started at him blankly. “How are you this perky and organized before 8am,” he asked seriously.

“I've been up over an hour.”

“You’re one of those annoying morning people? Crap! I knew there was at least one thing wrong with you.”

“Hurry up! I have to leave for work soon!” Steve called out as he exited the room.

Tony stumbled down the stairs 10 minutes later, still looking grumpy about being awake so early. Steve slid a coffee mug towards him, as he took his seat from the night before, and waved at a bunch of different milk options and sugar.

“I'm good, thanks,” he mumbled as he took the coffee mug and inhaled deeply. “Why do you have all these?”

“My friends tend to stay over often enough that I keep their favourites on hand. Nat is lactose intolerant, and Buck and Sam are on a weird no dairy kick, but they don't like the same thing, so that's why there is Coconut milk and Almond milk,” Steve answered simply.

“And there's superhuman you again. You really are something else, Steve.” Tony finally smiled a little.

“Not superhuman, just gotta keep the gremlins happy,” Steve smirked, making Tony laugh.

“So, why were you up at 5:30 exactly?” He was sounding more and more human with every sip of his coffee.

“Went for a run. And, for the record, it was insanely hard to leave bed this morning knowing you were right there. Wasn't sure if you'd be here when I came back, either. Actually ran my fastest 5k in a long time,” Steve smiled at him over his own coffee mug.

“That would have been a nice sight to wake up to, if you'd still been in bed.”

“I don't run on weekends,” Steve answered plainly.

Tony grinned at the answer. “I’ll have to call Happy and see if he can come pick me up. Thankfully, no meetings this morning. Want a ride to work? You aren't that much of a detour, before you suggest it.”

“Are you sure? I don't want to be a hassle for your driver.”

“Promise he won't mind one bit.”

“Ok then.”

“Now, please come here so I can fix your tie.”

Steve looked down, “What's wrong with it?”

“The better question is what's NOT wrong. Come here,” Tony was making grabby hands towards Steve, as if it’d make him move faster.

Steve rounded the corner and once he got within reach, Tony clutched at the tie and pulled him in for a kiss.

“That was the first thing that was wrong. You were too far for me to reach, and kiss you,” he said as he undid the knot and started redoing it in a matter of seconds. “Voila! Now I can be seen in public with you.”

“That horrible, huh? Need me to wear my glasses to make it even more acceptable?” Steve asked simply, looking down at his phone as if he hadn't just brought that up.

“You are never allowed to wear those in public. Ever! Someone will definitely ask you to marry them on the spot if they were to see that level of hotness.”

“That all I am then? A pretty face?” Steve asked in mock indignation.

“Pretty face. Fantastic ass. Superb cook. One of the most talented artists I've met. And definitely the sweetest guy out there. How you are single is beyond me. You are the most amazing guy I’ve ever met, Steve Rogers.”

He looked down at his hands, not quite sure how to respond. “That has to be the nicest thing anyone has ever told me before. Thanks.”

“Steve, I mean it. You really are great. Thanks for last night.”

“I really didn’t do anything…”

“On the contrary! You fed me, let me vent about work and didn’t make me feel bad because no matter what I’ll still be a billionaire this morning, you let me crash on your couch while you worked instead of kicking me out, and you didn’t kick me out of bed when I may have accidentally-on-purpose made sure to fall asleep there when I realized you didn’t bring me to your guest bedroom,” Tony smirked as he finished. “You’ve been nothing but a gentleman when you did not have to be, or at least when other people would not have been as nice and kind as you were. I’m not really used to that, but it sure feels good.”

Steve blushed furiously again as he finally looked up, making Tony grin the most ridiculous grin at rendering him so flustered – that had to be the cutest thing ever. “Are you hungry? There's a great bakery on the corner, we could grab some pastries for the road? If we don’t leave the house soon, I’m not making it in to work today.”

“That would be great, lead the way.”

They reached the bakery quickly, Steve running in alone while Tony waited for their ride. When he came back out, he spotted the black town car on the corner and saw the back window roll down.

“Hey hot stuff! Need a ride?” Tony called out playfully.

“Looks like I might. My guy seems to have left without me.”

“Hmm, he must be a jerk to leave a pretty face like you behind.”

“He’s the worse,” Steve answered, a sweet grin spreading on his lips, as Tony opened the door and slid to the other side. “You’re not worried people are going to see you in Brooklyn this early on a Wednesday and start asking questions?”

“Nope. They can ask all they want, I don’t care.” Tony grabbed his hand and kissed his palm. “By the way, Steve, this is my driver and buddy, Happy. Happy, this is Steve.”

“Nice to meet you, Hap – “ Steve was cut off by the divider closing shut. Steve turned to Tony, who was just shaking his head.

“It’s not you, it’s him.”

“Good to know. Here are your pastries. Didn’t know what you liked, so I got you all my faves.”

Tony opened the bag and grabbed the first thing he saw – a chocolate croissant. Sure enough it was as good as Steve had promised. In no time, they had reached Steve office, Happy managing to bypass most of the traffic along the way. Steve rested his head back on the seat and looked over to Tony.

“Why is it always so hard to say goodbye to you?” he asked, voice low with a hint of sadness.

“I could say the same. Do you have plans this weekend?”

“Nothing. I’m probably going to be done early on Friday now too, given all the work from last night.”

“Well, now you have plans, with me. We can do whatever you want, kay? We’ll figure out the details later,” Tony closed the space between them in the car, and brought their lips together one last time before Steve had to leave.

“I’ll call you after work tonight. And, I had a great time last night too. Was nice to have company actually. And, you’re pretty damn great for my ego too, Tony.”

Tony couldn’t resist giving him a kiss at that, resisting the urge to pull on that tie again. “See y’a later, stud.”

“Bye Tony.” Steve gave him one last quick kiss before getting out of the car. And again, in the span of only a few hours, he wondered how this amazing man was in his life as he watched the car drive away.


End file.
